Question

(a) What is gypsum? What happens when gypsum is heated to ${100}^{0}C$ (373 K)?

(b) Name a sodium compound which is used for making borax and glass.

(c) Name the compound which is used in hospitals for setting fractured bones.

(d) Which is the real bleaching agent present in bleaching powder?

Answer 1

(a) Gypsum is calcium sulphate dihydrate, $CaS{O}_4.2H_{2}O$. When gypsum is heated to a temperature of ${100}^{0}C$, it loses 3/4th of its water of crystallisation and forms plaster of Paris.

(b) A sodium compound that is used for making borax and glass is Sodium carbonate.

(c) Plaster of Paris is used in hospitals for setting fractured bones.

(d) Chlorine is the real bleaching agent present in bleaching powder.